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Fish 'n' chips, pie 'n' mash, curry 'n' lager - the English have traditionally had simple tastes when it comes to food. However, at some point in the last twenty years, restaurateurs realised that if they continued to fur our arteries, they'd kill off their best customers. Thus, the New British Cuisine was born, based on traditional recipes, simple seasonal ingredients, sweary Scottish chefs and French cooking techniques. We've tried to cover the best of both worlds in our suggestions for a patriotic St George's meal.
 Bar Bruno 101 Wardour Street, W1F 0UG There are many places in London for a great English breakfast, but while your bacon 'n' eggs at Bar Bruno may not be as tasty as those at the Quality Chop House, or come in such magnificent surroundings as The Wolseley, we think you'll agree that it is the most English of the lot. This formica-and-blackboards cafe is one of the last true vestiges of old Soho, a place where journalists, artists and builders settle in for hours with the newspapers and a cuppa, while office workers nip in for a quick snack. The Italian bits and pieces are good, but the real highlights are the all-day breakfasts and sausage and bacon sandwiches, washed down with a cup of strong, milky tea. It's busy every day from dawn, when the delivery men pop in for a sustaining cuppa, until late in the evening, when people are still coming in to fortify themselves for a night out clubbing. Address: 101 Wardour Street, W1F 0UG Phone: 020 7734 3750 Time: Mon to Sat 6am-10pm Pricing: English breakfast from £3.60 Nearest Station: Piccadilly Circus Tube Bar Bruno - Information   CanteenRoyal Festival Hall, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX The wonderful thing about the dishes you grew up with is that they never get boring. And I've certainly never met an Englishman who's weary of a traditional roast dinner. The menu at Canteen reads like a comforting childhood reminiscence with some sophisticated bunting sprinkled on top. Devilled kidneys on toast, followed by macaroni cheese, crowned by the apple crumble and custard would be a typical trail through the large and time-consuming list. It's not just for dining though; wake up to a bacon sandwich, relax in the afternoon with a pot of tea and some freshly baked biscuits. Cutting to the chase - there's a different roast every day - either lamb, beef, pork or chicken - served with a toothsome garnish of roast potatoes and veg, all bathed in lashings of thick, meaty gravy. The simple canteen-style of both their branches doesn't lend itself to comfort, but ensures that prices have been kept spectacularly low for food of this quality. Details below are for the Southbank branch; there is also a branch in Spitalfields. Address: Royal Festival Hall, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX Phone: 0845 686 1122 Time: Mon to Fri 8am-11pm, Sat & Sun 9am-11pm Pricing: Main courses £9-£12.50 Nearest Station: Waterloo Tube/Rail Canteen - Information  The Empress of India130 Lauriston Road, Victoria Park, E9 7LH Lodged on the boundary of Victoria Park, The Empress of India is the latest venue from Tom and Ed Martin the brothers behind Dockland's much celebrated gastropub, The Gun. The pub pays homage to the Victorian era with hand-painted silk wallpaper rendering scenes of the Raj. The decor is neatly done - a pewter bar, Chesterfield banquettes and dark beech tables and chairs - and definitely aimed at diners rather than drinkers. An excellent seasonal British menu includes such meaty main courses as roast haunch of venison. A fresh yet still decidedly English gastropub alternative and well worth the trek into Hackney's public transport blackspot. Address: 130 Lauriston Road, Victoria Park, E9 7LH Phone: 020 8533 5123 Nearest Station: Blackwall DLR The Empress of India - Information  India ClubStrand Continental Hotel, 143 Strand, WC2R 1JA The true British national dish is, of course, the curry. Arriving with immigrants in the 1950s and 1960s, there are now more curry-houses in the UK than any other type of restaurant. Many places are distancing themselves from the curry's unhealthy reputation, but India Club feels like it hasn't changed since Asian food was introduced to this country half a century ago. Hidden up two flights of stairs, the shabby decor, rickety tables, typed menus and scent of stale oil disguise some excellent food and extraordinary value. It's not altogether a pleasant atmosphere, but it is authentically exotic. One of London's most surprising restaurants. Address: Strand Continental Hotel, 143 Strand, WC2R 1JA Phone: 020 7836 0650 Time: Noon-2.30pm, 6pm-10.50pm Pricing: Main courses £5-£8, bring your own booze Nearest Station: Temple Tube India Club - Information  National Dining RoomsSainsbury Wing, National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DN The National Gallery's restaurant won Time Out's Best British Restaurant Award in 2007 for good reasons - they do all sorts of great British things like breakfasts, cakes and afternoon tea really well, while the set menu combines traditional British dishes in innovative ways. They share opening hours with the gallery, so this isn't an evening place - except on St George's Day, when they're offering a special patriotic menu until 9pm. If you want to feel really puffed-up with English pride, pop into the gallery for a look at Constable's The Haywain, Turner's The Fighting Temeraire and Stubbs' Whistlejacket, and then hit the restaurant for a meal of kipper pate, steak and kidney pie, and bread and butter pudding. Address: Sainsbury Wing, National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DN Phone: 020 7747 2525 Time: 10am-5.30pm, late opening Wed until 9pm Nearest Station: Charing Cross Tube/Rail National Dining Rooms - Information  Rock & Sole Plaice47 Endell Street, WC2H 9AJ The best traditional fish and chips in the West End, with everything you'd expect from a traditional London chippie, including takeaway wrapped in paper, a punning name, and horrible house wine. Most important is the fresh fish and fat, hand-cut chips (and some fantastic home-made samosas for the less patriotic diner). Unusually, it's all cooked in peanut oil, which makes it a marginally healthier option than the standard chippie. The outside seating is a good spot for people-watching in summer. Address: 47 Endell Street, WC2H 9AJ Phone: 020 7836 3785 Time: Mon to Sat 11.30am-11pm , Sun midday-10pm Pricing: Fish and chips from £6.50 Nearest Station: Covent Garden Tube Rock & Sole Plaice - Information  Square PieSpitalfields Market, 16 Horner Square, E1 6AA The fresh face of a new generation of pies for the 21st century! The trusty pie has shed its staid, orthodox image and had a makeover - well really it's just changed shape, thankfully the gorgeous innards and crusty golden pastry remain comfortingly unchanged. The "Hip-to-be-Square, Hoxton makeover" hasn't made the pie too-cool-for-school either, and they are still coming out of the oven at a reasonable price. There's nothing quite like the smell of a freshly baked pie, served piping hot. They cook up all the classics here including lip-licking steak and Guinness, lamb and rosemary numbers, as well as some delectable vegetarian options - the wild mushroom and asparagus simply drips with flavour - and some more cosmopolitan tastes like the hearty Spanish chorizo. The pies are beefed up with ample servings of mash, mushy peas, and lashings of onion gravy. Address: Spitalfields Market, 16 Horner Square, E1 6AA Phone: 020 7377 1114 Time: Mon to Thu 11.30am-2.30pm, Fri 11.30am-3pm, Sun 10am-6pm Price: Pie, mash, peas and gravy £5.95 Nearest Station: Liverpool Street Tube/Rail Square Pie - Information  St John26 St John Street, EC1M 4AY Fergus Henderson's pair of restaurants pioneered the New English style referred to as 'Nose to Tail', in which bits of an animal and entire species (squirrel, anyone?) that you'd never have thought were edible are turned into world-class food. The style is faux-simple, but in fact your ox-hearts, foraged veg, cockscombs and langoustines are being prepared by some of the finest chefs in the capital. The best dishes are are enormous roasts to share, which need to be ordered a couple of days in advance. What could be more English than sitting down with a dozen friends to eat an entire pig? Details here are for the Smithfield branch, there is also the less formal St John Bread and Wine in Spitalfields. Address: 26 St John Street, EC1M 4AY Phone: 020 7251 0848 Time: Mon to Fri Midday-3pm, Mon to Sat 6pm-11pm Pricing: Main courses £13.50 - £22.80 Nearest Station: Farringdon Tube / Rail St John - Information  The Thomas Cubitt44 Elizabeth Street, SW1W 9PA Named after the architect of vast swathes of exclusive residential district, Belgravia, the Thomas Cubitt is a shining light among the capital's sea of gastropubs. Second-to-none are their roast dinners which fill and delight every Sunday lunchtime. The menu mutates each week according to the season and what the butcher has in. Offerings range from pork stuffed with apricot, served with a generous brittle crust of pork crackling, to a pink-cored, sliced roast sirloin of beef. There's no slouching with the accompaniments either, a perfect portion of roasties, mashed swede, caramelised vegetables and Yorkshire pudding look up from an ample drizzling of flavoursome gravy. The puddings aren't quite as traditional, but remain equally tasty, or try the varied cheese board. This all sits well in the stomach which becomes full, but not stuffed to bloating point. It's best to book ahead on Sunday as the place is absolutely full - hence the comfortably sedate service. Decisively though, the friendly staff never forget anything and all the food arrives piping-hot. This is one of the best places to eat a roast in central London and a great way to celebrate St George's Day. Address: 44 Elizabeth Street, SW1W 9PA Phone: 020 7730 6060 Time: Kitchen - daily, midday-3.30pm and 6.30pm-10pm | Bar - daily, midday-11pm Pricing: Main courses - £7.50-£12.50 (Bar), £13.50-£21.50 (Dining Room) Nearest Station: Sloane Square Tube The Thomas Cubitt - Information  Tom's Place1 Cale Street, SW3 3QP This is the opposite experience to Rock & Sole Plaice - right down to the alternative spelling of the punning name. 'Tom' is Tom Aikens, whose Michelin-starred restaurant down the road from here is the closest thing London has to Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck. His latest venture is a sort of upper class riff on the traditional chippie. There's lots of stainless steel, no bookings, and a menu that includes mushy peas, chip buttys and half-a-dozen variations on battered seafood and deep fried spuds. It's undoubtedly pricey, but the design is super-modern minimalist, all the fish comes from sustainable stocks, and other items on the menu include grilled sole, and bouillabaise, and everything is prepared with Aikens' celebrated attention to detail. Address: 1 Cale Street, SW3 3QP Phone: 020 7351 1806 Time: Mon to Wed 11am-11pm, Thu to Sat 11am-midnight, Sun 11am-11pm Pricing: Fish and chips from £12.00 (eat in), £11 (takeaway) Nearest Station: South Kensington Tube Tom's Place - Information  RootmasterElys Yard, Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, E1 6QL The Routemaster bus occupies a special place in the hearts of Londoners. You only have to look at the mayoral elections to know that. And if the old adage - 'the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach' - is true then this is the best way of cementing that warm, fuzzy feeling. When the much-loved mode of transport was largely retired - replaced by the altogether less loved bendy bus - there was an outcry. This novel repositioning, then, of the Rootmaster as vegan 'bustaurant' should be applauded for its sheer inventiveness and for getting the iconic red double-decker back on the London map. Parked up outside the Truman Brewery, the bus is the brainchild of ex-dancer Sylvia Garcia and all the food, prepared on the lower deck, is vegan. Upstairs offers seating for 28 and - weather permitting - there's additional seating outside. The tasty looking menu offers choices of purple sprouting brocoli, aubergine stack salad or tofu tower washed down with an organic wine list and finished off with triple chocolate fudge cake or ice cream with wild berries. Nostalgic journeys never tasted so good. Address: Elys Yard, Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, E1 6QL Phone: 07912 389 314 Timing: 11am - 10pm Daily Pricing: Main Courses £9 - £12 Nearest Station: Aldgate East Tube Rootmaster - Information |
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